Property-owners in the Emporia school district would share paying a total of $6,147 in increased taxes for the coming school year under a plan proposed Monday evening by district administrators.
Assistant Superintendent Rob Scheib presented 2 budget options to school board members at a budget workshop held at Village School. The proposed mill levy of 50.973 is a 1.77-mill increase from the 2008-09 school year levy of 49.201 mills.
Read Tuesday's print or pdf Gazette for details about state cuts and budget balancing efforts.
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Those figures can't be right!
July 21, 2009 at 6:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Agree.
July 21, 2009 at 7:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
If you own a 50,000. 00 home the 1.77 bump in SCHOOL taxes would be $10.18 more in taxes. This increase DOES NOT INCLUDE the School bond tax, city, county or state taxes.
For the last few years we have been told "we are keeping your mill levy down." That was easy to do with property values going up, they still collected more taxes. Now that the bubble burst on property values, guess what?
It's only a 1.77 increase, that's almost flat. COME ON!
With the city, county, rec center? levy increases coming up, a 10. levy increase is looking possible. figure that one out.
AN INCREASE IS AN INCREASE, WE CAN'T AFFORD ONE!
July 21, 2009 at 8:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
rbow, create
I would guess that figure is correct. According to the info available at the public budget hearing on Tuesday, July 7th, the combined mil levy for State, County and City breaks down as follows for 2008. Total mils 143.833. State, 1.5 mils or 1%. Lyon County 46.437 mils or 32%. Emporia, City, 41.848 mils or 29%. USD 253, 54.048 mils or 38%.
And the proposed mil levy for Emporia City Schools is 49.201mils. Now the proposed mil levy has been increased by 1.77mills, making a total of 50.048mils.
Based on the 2008 mil levy breakdown, I would say the 50.048 mil levy is close to correct.
The City of Emporia citizens will and have been burdened with the highest share of the school mil levy, because Emporia has the most population, school age population in Lyon County. Thats how that works and always has along with, what the Emporia City Commission and Commissioners decide to do. It's always been this way.
Sorry, for all of us. !
July 21, 2009 at 8:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
P.S. What the School District wants, the School District usually get.
July 21, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Further if you add the Countys proposed or projected mil increase of 15.5 mils plus possible general mil levy increases by The City of Emporia, if budget cuts are or cannot be made, then the costs to Emporia and Lyon County tax payers becomes something that sci-fi movies and novels are made of and become a nightmare for each and every man, woman and child in Emporia and Lyon County.
We as taxpayers are being expected to pay for the frivolus spending habits of past City and County Commision spending habits.
If the news of yet another possible mil levy increase does not move the taxpaying public to get involved by attending the public budget hearings, then you will be paying out the nose and will have no excuse to complain about having one of the highest or the highest tax burden in the State of Kansas.
If this trend of tax increases continues many, if not all taxpayers will be taxed right out of their property and homes.
July 21, 2009 at 8:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I heard a dude say to another dude one time that paying high taxes was patriotic. I think that dude is the vp now. We are all going to be very patriotic soon. We are like Europe without the cool castles. I think if they are going to tax us so much we should get some castles. The court house doesn't count, sorry.
July 21, 2009 at 9:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
All I know is last year I paid $5,841.12 on my two run-down properties. I know why some don't keep their property up, everytime you improve you get socked with a higher tax bill.
And it looks like this years tax increase will raise my tax bill higher than my mortgage payments.
I always thought I was patriotic!
July 21, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slimbolen99 (anonymous) says...
Wow. Taxes back home are higher than here in Johnson County KS!
July 21, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Would someone tell me why you people keep voting the same clowns in then compain bout the taxes?
July 21, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
booker5m
Basically, not all of the same clowns are elected or re-elected to office. They just seem to come from the same area of the City.
And there are only basically 5 who get elected and that is because of our City Commission form of government.
I have advocated for years that a City Counsel form of government would be a much more fair and imparshial form of City and County form of Government.
Have the City and County divided into 9 seperate and distinct districts and then have the people of each district elect whom they think would best represent them to decide whats best for them and the City of Emporia and the County .
With only 5 Commissioners who come from a certain area, there is to much room for influence peddling and not enough policing or checks and balances of each other. In other words not enough input from enough people and lack of whistle blowers if something does not seem right.
July 21, 2009 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
slimbolen99
I have presonally heard that very same comment from many people who have moved here from elsewhere.
And the City of Emporia and County, expect to attract more residents, etc., I don' t for the life of me, see how they expect to attract anything with the tax burden here.
July 21, 2009 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I voted for that one dude that dropped out. I wrote my name in once but I guess I was the only one who did.
I just want a castle that the whole community can benefit from. Is that too much to ask. The castle can't have pointy towers though. We have to think about safety for giants who come to visit and drink from the giant beer can. These problems aren't hard to solve people. We just need to put all of our ideas together and do them all very quickly and without any regard to cost, like the feds.
July 21, 2009 at 12:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yev_kassem (anonymous) says...
methusla--
Part of the problem with having more elected officials is you have to have people willing to run.
I think your idea has merit but if I recall our options for city commissioner have been very limited the last few elections.
Also, I do want to point out that the commissioners are not necessarily the ones to pin the whole blame one. There were commissioners before them, a city manager before Zimmerman, and a lack of public involvement that allowed some of the crazy spending to happen. The current commissioners are in a tough spot and really in a no-win situation. At some point, we as citizens are going to have to bite the bullet and either pay (more) through the nose, or suck it up and live without services until we can get things back on track. My hope is that is doesn't last too long but that we still remember what it was like and don't put ourselves in that same situation again.
July 21, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Less students = more space, more money, more taxes. It will never end!
July 21, 2009 at 1:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
booker5m (anonymous) says...
I have been to some of the city meeting and you tell them what you want and the others that are there tell the same thing and they still go and do what they want. I have to laugh when the Commish complain about how few people show up. What the use if they are still going to do what they want and not what we ask!
July 21, 2009 at 2:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
yev_kassem
You are absolutely right when you say that a lot of the blame lays with past City Managers and Commissioners and us as citizens for not getting involved and setting back and allowing those past and present elected officials do what ever they wanted and us as their " Bosses " not holding them accountable and kicking them out with a recall vote and electing someone else to take their place.
The fact that taxpayers money is taken by dubious means, in every government situation whether it be , City, County, State or Federal, is evident by reading the following news story titled, Star Construction owner charged
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
And this took place 3 years ago and involved a former City Engineer !
The simple fact of the matter is, apparantly there needs to be people watching the people who are supposed to be watching the people who are watching the people who, Oh, you get the idea, who can be trusted now-a-days !
Does no one check and double check prices and check to see if the quote given by a contractor is the lowest possible quote or if the contractor is reliable and trustworthy anymore !
July 21, 2009 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
What did the EDA do last year?
How much did they get from the city last year?
How much did they get from USD253 last year?
E-mail your commissioners.
July 21, 2009 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )